Pesto Tortellini Salad with Chicken features cheese tortellini tossed in a creamy pesto sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and chunks of chicken.
This Pesto Tortellini Salad with Chicken recipe is a total weeknight savior. Most of the ingredients are pantry-friendly, and if you use fresh tortellini, this dish can be on your table in about 10 minutes! And, you are going to love it. Tortellini tossed in creamy pesto sauce with chicken for protein and a zing from the cherry tomatoes.
Why Make This Recipe
- Only 6 ingredients! And so fast to make. Really, it’s a stretch to even call it a recipe.
- Travels well. In fact, this is perfect buffet food. Easy to make ahead of time, then serve for a crowd. Delicious at any temperature!
- Easy to make vegetarian! The chicken in this recipe really is optional. You can leave it out for an excellent vegetarian main course or side dish. Or try my Tortellini Caprese Salad recipe instead!
🥗 Ingredients
- Pesto: I used my Simple Lemon Basil Pesto for this recipe. It's easy to make, and so much more delicious than store-bought. But if you don't have the time or the basil, feel free to use whatever brand of pesto you like!
- Sun-dried tomatoes: In France, we can get these half-dried tomatoes (semi-séchée) which I just love. If those are available in your region, please try them with this recipe. If not, regular sun-dried tomatoes are fine. Or, replace with halved cherry tomatoes. Those work too!
- Chicken: You can easily leave this out of the recipe for a vegetarian dish. Or, replace with lightly sautéed tofu cubes.
- Mayonnaise: My go-to mayonnaise brand is Hellman’s Mayonnaise (known as Best Foods in the western U.S.), but you can use whatever you prefer (or make your own!).
🥣 Instructions
If garnishing with pine nuts, toast 2 tablespoons pine nuts in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Watch carefully, as pine nuts burn quickly! Stir frequently, and turn off the heat when pine nuts are golden brown.
Drain 1 cup of sun-dried tomatoes, then pat dry with a paper towel and cut into ½-inch chunks.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, then add tortellini, cooking according to package directions. While tortellini is cooking, stir ½ cup pesto and ¼ cup mayonnaise together in a large bowl.
Drain tortellini well, then add to bowl with pesto mayo. Stir in tomatoes and chicken.
Garnish with pine nuts and shredded parmesan cheese, if desired.
🧐 Recipe FAQs
Yes, absolutely! It’s totally fine to make this a day or two ahead of serving. Toss it together and keep it refrigerated. You can serve it cold, at room temperature, or warm. If the pasta sauce dries out a bit, you can toss it with a little more pesto before serving. Or combine a tablespoon of pesto with mayonnaise and stir that in.
I wouldn't recommend freezing this dish as the texture won’t be the same when you defrost and then reheat it. A big soft pasta like a tortellini just isn't very freezer-friendly.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
Make your own mayonnaise. It’s actually quite easy, and tastes so much better than store-bought versions. You can replace the mayonnaise and the pesto together in this dish, by making my Pesto Aioli as a substitute. That would take this really over the top!
Perfect use for a leftover rotisserie chicken. I don’t know about you, but I frequently have half a rotisserie chicken waiting in the fridge, not nearly as appealing on Day 2. Shred the meat off the bones and make this recipe. Or, check out this list of fantastic leftover chicken recipes for even more ideas.
Or, when you do have leftover chicken meat from a rotisserie chicken or from any recipe, just shred it and freeze it in an airtight container. That way, you always have chicken on hand for this recipe or for my Chicken Soup with Rice and Lemon! Or, try these White Chicken Enchiladas or these Chicken Salad Sandwiches—a great way to use leftover chicken.
Don't overcook your tortellini! Pay attention to the package instructions, and drain tortellini immediately when they are done. Overcooked tortellini quickly becomes bloated and soggy.
Got leftover pesto? How about trying this 20-Minute Orzo Pesto Salad next?
Other Delicious Pasta Recipes
Love pasta? Meeeee toooooo! You may want to check out some of my other favorite recipes featuring pasta.
- Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Pasta
- Creamy Spinach Artichoke Pasta
- Black Garlic Pasta
- Orzo Pasta Salad with Black Beans and Corn
- Shrimp Pasta with Tomatoes, Feta, and Olives
- Creamy Orzo Chicken with Mushrooms
- Angel Hair Pasta with Olives and Capers
- Summer Orzo Salad
- Red Lentil Bolognese
If you try this Pesto Tortellini Salad recipe, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below—I read them all, and your feedback is invaluable to me. And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I'd love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!
📖 Recipe
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Pesto Tortellini Salad with Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 cup drained sun-dried tomatoes (about 7 ounces)
- 18 ounces refrigerated cheese tortellini or 9 oz. dried cheese tortellini
- ½ cup pesto
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or chopped (about 8 ounces)
- 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts optional, for garnish
- Shredded parmesan cheese optional, for garnish
Instructions
- If garnishing with pine nuts, toast pine nuts in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Watch carefully, as pine nuts burn quickly! Stir frequently, and turn off the heat when pine nuts are golden brown.
- Drain sun-dried tomatoes, then pat dry with a paper towel and cut into ½-inch chunks.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, then add tortellini, cooking according to package directions.
- While tortellini is cooking, stir pesto and mayonnaise together in a large bowl.
- Drain tortellini well, then add to bowl with pesto mayo.
- Stir in tomatoes and chicken.
- Garnish with pine nuts and/or shredded parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this recipe, tag me @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because I'd love to see your results!
More About Molly
Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!
Chef Mimi says
Love this. Simple yet so flavorful. We’ll eat pesto’d everything!
Chef Molly says
Same here! Easiest way to add delicious flavor to grains or pasta!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls says
Only 6 ingredients, and every single ingredient is so perfect. How can I resist the pesto... or those sun dried tomatoes... or that heavenly cheese tortellini. Yum!
Chef Molly says
Same here. This one is easy to love, because I love every one of those ingredients!
Katerina says
This is one of my favourite combination of flavours to be honest, Molly! We actually had something similar for lunch, except it was porcini mushroom ravioli with pesto, and chopped asparagus and tomato. I love the addition of those semi-dried tomatoes, they are wonderful indeed. And toasted pine nuts - yum! Thanks for sharing!
Chef Molly says
Ooh, I want to eat your version too! 🙂
mimi rippee says
I love this. I love tortellini! And I love pesto! I just made some arugula and basil pesto, and added lemon just because of your post. I'm a huge fan of anything art nouveau, not so much art deco, but I'm still in awe of those styles. You're so lucky to live in Paris!
Chef Molly says
Yes! The architecture here is one of my favorite things about the city. Love adding arugula in my pesto too!